


Realizations

by StarlightPhoenix



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Gabriel-centric (Good Omens), Gen, I wrote this for myself but you can read it, No beta we fall like Crowley, and i need him to not be awful, character study (I think), earth makes angels better lol, i don't know why but i do, look i love gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23826040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightPhoenix/pseuds/StarlightPhoenix
Summary: It's been years since Armageddon didn't happen, Gabriel has a crisis, followed by the realization that the humans might not becompletelyawful.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 27





	Realizations

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Mine](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/611440) by n0nb1narydemon. 



> If you haven't read the inspired by post, this happens years after the failed Armageddon. Gabriel attacks Aziraphale and Crowley, but he gets away, and then this fic starts.

He knew, as soon as he left the traitors. 

He _knew_ he was in trouble. 

Gabriel was created with one purpose. He was Her Messenger, spreading Her Word among angels and humans alike. 

He was not a warrior, and he knew he would be in trouble the moment he stepped into Heaven. 

Michael, Her Warrior, was waiting for him at the entrance. 

“Gabriel.”

She didn’t bother offering him a smile, and Gabriel didn’t have the energy to pretend that he wasn’t worried. He recognized her stance, watching him with disappointment. She perfected the look after millenia of training the cherubim and always finding fault with their form. 

And now, Gabriel was on the other side of her disappointment. 

_Great._

She didn’t even wait until he stumbled to Raphael for the blows dealt by Aziraphale. She gave him one sweeping look and turned to walk to her office, confident he’d follow. To add insult to injury, she sat at her desk with laced fingers and let him fidget standing up. 

“Gabriel.”

“Michael,” he returned. 

“Do you want to explain why you broke our agreement with them?”

He straightened. Words were his speciality, and he was determined to explain to her why she should order action against the traitors. 

“Aziraphale is a traitor to Heaven, and you let him walk out of Heaven without any consequences. It used to be a Falling offense, Michael, and I know you haven't gone soft.” 

_“You_ let him walk away,” she corrected. “And we did try to discipline him, as you remember. It failed, and nothing fails in Heaven without purpose. Accept that we were wrong and forget about them, Gabriel.”

He slammed his hands on her desk and Michael flinched. “How?! We don’t get things wrong, Michael! That’s not _possible!”_

Michael stood, and Gabriel wished she would fight back, would do anything but look at him with those eyes full of pity. She walked around the desk and held his face with those _stupid,_ sorrowful eyes as if he was a misbehaving child, as if he was _wrong._

“Gabriel,” she said softly. It would have been better if she screamed. “No one can make an angel immune to Hellfire except Her. This was Her Will, and we have to accept that She agreed with Aziraphale and the demon, that She did not want Armageddon. And it is our responsibility to make sure the Host obeys Her Will. You cannot go against Her, Gabriel.”

He wasn’t. 

He _wasn’t._

Unlike Aziraphale, he was loyal to Her. He knew that Aziraphale and the demon needed to be punished. She Willed Armageddon, was testing their loyalty, and Michael refused to pass Her test. Worse, Michael was going to drag the rest of Heaven down with her. 

He shoved her hands off his arm. 

If Michael refused to do Her Will, fine. 

He’d do it instead. 

-

He knew Michael worked fast, so he’d left for Earth again before she could issue any restrictions on his movement. 

Two thousand years ago, it was unheard that he would be restricted from going to Earth. Two thousand years ago, Earth needed it’s prophets to guide the humans to be better. That’s what humans were, after all. They were lesser beings, mortal and fragile and easily tempted into sin. Gabriel didn’t have much to do with Moses, that was all God, and Michael was the one coordinating the plagues and protecting the Isrealites. But he announced the coming of Jesus to Mary, he spoke to countless prophets, he even taught one of them to read to better spread Her Word. 

Two thousand years ago, the humans needed him. 

Now, the humans were all out of prophets and angelic visions and divine intervention. 

Gabriel had no reason to visit Earth anymore, so when Raphael once complained about visiting to check on the Earth agents, Gabriel quickly offered to go instead.

 _Just the one time,_ Raphael had assured. 

He doesn’t know if Raphael even remembered that he was technically in charge of the Earth agents, and he wasn’t going to bring it up. 

Now, with nowhere to go, Gabriel sat on a park bench. 

It was a nice bench, and a nice park, and he was starting to realize that he _might_ have made a mistake. 

Michael _might_ be right.

It had been years since Armageddon failed, and no one had heard from Her for centuries. Michael, Her _Warrior,_ was never told to start the War. 

It was possible that She just… changed Her mind. 

The humans walked on, unaware of his conundrum. He watched them talk and laugh and hold hands.

Perhaps She decided that these humans should exist longer than six thousand years. It wasn’t very long, after all. A blink of an eye to the Archangel who remembered the creation of the First Humans. 

Gabriel remembered a lot about Humanity. He remembered Adam and Eve, of course, but only that they were created and later banished. Not his department, after all.

More importantly, he remembered teaching them. They were weak, and She wanted him to remind them to be Good. Pathetic that they had to be taught, but he did as commanded. He reminded them to be generous, to help the sick, to feed the hungry. When no one was watching, he miracled food into empty bins and cured diseases, sometimes using Raphael’s name when he wasn’t technically supposed to be there. 

He remembered finding Mary again, remembered trying and failing to refuse when she placed Yeshua in his hands. Logically, he knew that babies were fragile, but he never realized how small and soft they were until then. The baby was kind enough to not squirm, instead reaching out to him. Tiny fingers held onto him, trusted him to hold on tight. 

Two thousand years passed, but the humans were the same. Sure, they had new fashions and technology and were doing horrible things to the atmosphere, but they still laughed and held hands in the park. 

So, he _might_ have made a mistake. Both in going against Her Will and also wanting the humans to die in the War. 

_Maybe._

A few hours later, the sun was beginning to set and the park would be closed soon. 

He could go back to Heaven. Michael would never deny him entry. 

He could _also_ stay on Earth a little longer. 

It’s been two thousand years since he last stayed on Earth for more than a few hours, and a few well-placed miracles would ensure he had a roof over his head. 

_Besides,_ he reasoned, _he really didn’t want to see Michael’s smug face when he was forced to confess that maybe she wasn’t completely wrong._

He stood up. 

He’d spend the night in a hotel somewhere, and he could decide what to do the next morning. 

Though, he suspected that he already decided. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am starved for Gabriel-centric fics, so I wrote one myself. I also firmly believe that the angels just need to spend some time on Earth to not be a-holes.
> 
> [tumblr link](https://cleverlittlejay.tumblr.com/post/616308267151441920/inspired-by-n0nb1narydemon-s-butteromens-post)
> 
> and find me on tumblr at [clverlittlejay.tumblr.com](https://cleverlittlejay.tumblr.com/) and don't be scared to say hi!


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